Restrictions on access to surgery have been in the news again with this Observer article on smokers and obese patients waiting longer for surgery such as hip and knee replacements. In April, the Kings Fund published a report on understanding NHS Financial pressures and what this means for patients. Whereas genito-urinary medicine and district nursing services have seen an impact on access to, and quality of, their services, neonatal and elective hip replacement services were not affected to the same extent by the same pressures.…
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Category: Arthritis News
ARMA Portsmouth Spring-Summer 2017 newsletter
The latest newsletter from ARMA Portsmouth is now available, published by the Department of Rheumatology at Queen Alexandra Hospital.
This edition features: dates and details of many coming events; Carer resource packs; patient advice; information campaigns; and new projects.
Click here to read or download the ARMA Portsmouth Summer 2017 Newsletter.
New ‘Medicines in Rheumatoid Arthritis’ booklet by NRAS
NRAS is delighted to announce the launch of a new publication: ‘Medicines in Rheumatoid Arthritis‘.
It is a comprehensive guide to all medicines used in the treatment of RA, including NSAIDs, Steroids, DMARDs, Biologics and Biosimilars. Order your copy today by emailing enquiries@nras.org.uk
Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Week pack
Our RA Awareness week pack is available now! Order your pack today which includes:
- our ‘Behind The Smile’ pop art poster (A4)
- Smiley lips, conveniently cut out so that you can take your #behindthesmile photo.
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Encouraging early intervention to support good work and a healthy workforce
Guest Blog by Lesley Giles, Director, Work Foundation
I am delighted to contribute to this edition of the Newsletter in my new role as Director at the Work Foundation. I think after 6 months I can probably just about still call myself new, not least as time has flown by in a whirlwind. It’s one of those roles that really is a great privilege to do. What is there not to like? I have the opportunity to research and promote something I am passionate about – the importance of good work!…
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EULAR e-breakthrough, April 2017
In April 2017, EULAR released Issue 15 of their eBreakthrough magazine.
This edition of News from the Standing Committee of People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe includes:
- An introduction to the new EULAR Executive Director, Dr Julia Rautenstrauch;
- “Looking to the future” by Dieter Wiek, PARE Chairperson;
- a report on online self-management in Ireland;
- What do patients think about their care?
Click here to open or download e-Breakthrough via the eular.org website, in PDF format.
CEO Update, May 2017
After the success of our first three MSK pathway events I’m pleased that planning for the next three has begun. The North West event will be in Merseyside on May 16th and is shaping up to be every bit as inspiring as the others. Two events are being planned for the South region, with the first in Exeter in July. More details should be available in our next newsletter.
I have been reading the pledge forms completed by people at the first three events and they show the commitment of people to create change in services.…
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‘A Message to my Younger Self’ campaign begins
The National Osteoporosis Society launched ‘A Message to My Younger Self’ – an awareness campaign about keeping bones strong and healthy – on 12th April which runs through World Osteoporosis Day on 20 October.
A survey conducted by the National Osteoporosis Society found four in 10 young adults have tried the fashionable ‘clean eating’ diets that often involve avoiding dairy, gluten, grain and sugar, while more than fifth had severely restricted their intake of milk and cheese. Fuelled by social media, the clean eating trend has surged in popularity in recent years, with some advocates achieving celebrity status with hundreds of thousands of followers.…
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Whether you are an elite athlete, weekend warrior or an everyday active person the musculoskeletal care pathway for rehabilitation is the same
Guest Blog by Dr Jo Larkin, Sport and Exercise Medicine Consultant FFSEM
The knowledge and principles used to treat elite professional athletes in Sport and Exercise Medicine can be used to treat injuries occurring in the rest of the population.
The musculoskeletal (MSK) rehabilitation plan must consider the fact that the objective of the patient is to return to the same activity and environment in which the injury occurred. Functional capacity after rehabilitation should at the minimum be to at the same level, if not better, than before injury.…
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Musculoskeletal Services: the missing step
Last Friday, March 31st, NHS England published a significant document about the future of the NHS: Next Steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View. The original NHS five year forward view set out why and how the NHS should change to address three issues: the health gap, the quality gap and the financial sustainability gap. The next steps updates on progress and sets out future plans.
Musculoskeletal conditions account for a major part of the workload of the NHS, 40% of which is due to potentially preventable risk factors.
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UK Gout Society Parliamentary Reception
Gout: No Laughing Matter
The UK Gout Society held a parliamentary reception at the House of Commons on 28th March 2017 to launch #shoutaboutgout – a social media campaign to raise awareness about gout, a musculoskeletal disorder which now affects one in 40 people in the UK. Nearly 60 MPs, peers and other stakeholders in the MSK space, including many ARMA members, attended the event.
Jim Shannon, MP for Strangford (Northern Ireland) and DUP Spokesperson for Health, who sponsored the event, stated: “It’s time we put the facts on the table and told people the truth about gout.”…
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